A cprporation op



E. FUTER.

VULCANIZSNG APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

APPLzcAloN man 1AN.|o,1s2i.

Reissued Apr. 5, 1921. 15,076.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD FETTEB., OF BALTIMORE, :MARYLAND ASSIGNOR TO THE PNEUMATIC TUBE STEAM SPLICER COVIPANY, OF BALT):

MARYLAND.

MORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF VULCANIZING APPARATS AND PROCESS.

Original No. 1,312,629, dated. August 5, w19, Serial No. 262,351, iiled November 13, 1918.

for reissue filed January 10, 1921.

To al `zii/tom t may concern.'

lie it known that l, lmvnno hnfrrnn, a citizen ei the United States of America, residiine,l at Baltimore, in the State ot Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vuleanizing Apparatus and Processes, of which the following` is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vuleanizing,l apparatus and process, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed, and in the steps hereinaiter set torth.

2in object olE my invention is to provide a device by means oi' which the ends of inner tubes of pneumatic` tires may be tspliced,` 1f. o., joined together quickly and economically by vulcanizinr the ends instead ot merely cemcnting them, by the use of acid or other rementing agencies.

A further object oi my invention is to provide a vulcaniziug device consisting;- ot a hollow cylinder with means Vior heating' the outside surface oi the cylinder; over an end of whieh cylinder the tube may bei turned bat-l( upon itself or culled, so as to bring the splice next to the outside, e., the heated surface of the cylinder, for carrjv'ing out the vulcanizing process.

Another object oi' my invention is to provide a method b v which the splice receives the full heating etl'ect trom the vnlcanizing` i-nr'l'ace, giving increased ciiirieucy and preventingunmret-sary heating at other parts oi" the tube.

.i iurther object ot' my invention is to provide a process by means of which the tube may be placed on the vuleanizer and will grip the vuleanizer tightly. thus disiensing with the need of a clamp, or other holding' device, the subsequent steps ot the pro-ross causing' the tube to release its grip and to torce itself" oil from the vulranizer.

Other objects and iulvantages willl appear in the following' sperilirfation. and the novel features ol.3 the invention will be par ticularly, pointed out in the appended claims.

hiiy invention is illustrated in the aecompanyinn' drawings, forming part ol this application` in which- Figure l a longitudinal section througz'h the vulcani/.er and through a portion ot' Specication of Reissued Letters Patent.

Reissued Apr. 5, 1921.

Application Serial No. 436.355.

the inner tube, the major portion of tubo being shown in elevation;

lfig. 2 is a plan view of the vulcanizing devnee; and

Fig-..23 is a transverse section through the vuleanizer on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

ln splicing the ends of inner tubes ot' pneiunatie tires, v'. e., in joining the ends t0- nether, the ordinary method is to malte use ot sonic cementinuT agent which aets without heat, such as the Well-known acid Cement, instead olf ville-.mixing the ljoint bv heat treatment, because ot' the i'aet that iicretotore no device has been made which is successful and economical in forming the lioint in this way. when these tubes are used in tires which subjected to great heat, as for instance inA the tires` ot' racing1 automobiles, the heat vdi cause the joint to loosen, thus destrovr' utility oi' the tire. The present iiiveution is designed to vuleanize the joint so as to ailord a perifect splicing ot' the tube ends.

In rarrying' out my invention I provide a hollow metai cylinder, l, havingidouble walls to provide a steam space, 2, 'for heating,r the outer surface, l2, of the Cylinder or mandrel which is the vulcanizinu' surface. rlhe cylinder is designed to be held rigidly in position hy any suitable means.` such as the support 3. As'will be seen from the dravvine. the endsoi" the steam space are closed. rille ryiinder is provided with a longitudinal slot, the walls oi this slot beinpj continued arr-ors the steam space. as slniwn in Fig. fi. so as to prevent the escape ol' steam.

la the preferred iorm as shown, I have provided shoulders. l. near the outer side of the .cylinder at each Side 0f the SiOt. A har, having flanges, 6. arranged to rest on the shoulders l-. is provided,Y the outer :in-fl inner surfaces ot the bar being curved lo conform with the outer and inner surfaces ot the cylinder, and beingr flush there with villen the bar is in position. A suitable steam inlet, 7, is provided, a valve 8, controllingV the inlet. while a valve, 9. non trois an outlet, i0.

'From the foregoingr description ot' the variole: parts ol the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The. cylinder. l. is slightly larger in diameter the rThe result has been that` than the diameter' of the tube, il, whose ends are to be spliced. l, therefore, enlarge the tube by pumping compressed air into the tube before placing it in position on the vulcanizer. Before doing this, however, the bar, 5. is removed from the slot by pulling it outwardly, and the deflated tube whose ends have been previously treated with cementing material suitable for the hot treatment and lapped to form the splice, is passed through the slot after which the bar is replaced in position. Preferably, the tube now pumped up as stated, and inflated to a diameter greater than that of the mandrel, so that the portion of the tube at which the. joint is located, may be forced over one end of the vulcanizing cylinder. )in important feature of my method consists in so performing this step that the lapped or spliced portion of the tube is brought next to, fi. c. in direct contact with the outer heatingr surface of the cylinder or mandrel, giving direct heating of the splice with increased efficiency and speed and avoiding unnecessary heating of other ortions of the tube. The air is now l-et out of the tube and the latter, on contracting, will cling tightly to the surface of the vulcanizer, but any suitable additional clamping means for holding it close to the vulcanizing surface during the process of vulcanizing may be used. i

Fig. l shows the position of the parts at this stage of the operation. lt is now only necessary to admit steam to the steam space Q in order to suppl?Y the heat necessary for the vulcanizing action. The time for vulcanizing depends upon thc composition of the tube. l contemplate using a battery of vulcanizing cylinders of such a number that the time taken to fit the tubes on the cylinders will be substantiallyT he time taken to vulcanize the tube on the first Cylinder. This may vary from five to fifteen minutes more or less.

Then the joint has been vulcanized it is only necessary to admit compressed air t"y the tube. when the latter will force itself off from the end of the mandrel. The relult is a joint or splice which is vulcanixe-l as well as any portion of the tube. ln the drawings, the end of one section of the tube may be seen in place on the vulcani/ier.v but in the finished joint there is no line to show where the splice has been made.

'lhile I have shown a cylinder of a ceitain size and supported in a certain manner in the drawings, it will be understood that the cylinders are to be made in various si/.es and may be supported in any suitable inanner without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A vulcanizing device comprising a hollow cylinder having double walls to provide a steam space, and a slot to permit the entrance of a rubber tube, a closure for the slot having flanges arranged to engage the alls of the slot for positioning the closure, said closure being movable into and out of position in the slot in a radial direction, and the outer and inner faces of the closure forming a continuation of the outer and inner faces of the cylinder, and being (lush therewith throughout the length of the c vlinder.

Q. The herein described steps of vulcanizing a joint of a rubber tube on a hollow heated cylinder which consist in admitting compressed air into the tube to expand the same, and subsequently forcing the portion of the tube containing the joint back upon itself and over the outer surface of the cylinder to bring the outer surface of the joint next to the surface of the cylinder.

The herein described steps in a process of vulcanizing a `ioint of a rubber tube on :1` hollow heated cylinder which consists in forcing the portion of the tube containing vthe lioiut back upon itself and over the outer surface of the cylinder to bring the outer surface of the joint next to the surface of the cylinder, heating the cylinder, and subsequently forcing compressed air into the tube whereby the tube is forced out from the cylinder.

4. rThe herein described process of vulcanicing a lioint of a rubber tube on a hollow heated cylinder, which consists in admitting compressed air into the tube, forcing the portion of the tube containing the joint back upon itself and over the outer surface of the cylinder to bring the outer surface of the lioint next to the surface of the cylinder. releasing the air from the tube whereby the latter is caused to grip the surface of the cylinder. heating the cylinder, and subsequently forcing compressed air into the tube whereby the tube is forced off from the cylinder.

5. The process of splicing the ends of a tube of rubber or similar material to form an inner tube for pneumatic tires which consists in forming the ends of the tube and cufiing the tube into a vulcanizable splice over a mandrel bringing the splice directlv in Contact with the outer surface of the mari;- drel and supplying heat to the said outer surface of the mandrel to cure and vulcanize the splice.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 6th day of January, 1920.

EDWARD FETTER.

Witnesses JAMES JOYCE, PORTER H. FLAUTT.

Corrections in Reissue Letters Patent It is hereby certified that in Reissue Letters Patent No. 15,076, granted August 5,

1919, upon the application of Edward Fetter, of Baltimore, Maryland, for an improvement in Vuleanizing Apparatus and Processes, errors appeal' in the printed Specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 114, claim 5, after i the word tube insert the words into a vulccmieable splice; same page and claim,

line 115, strike out the words into a vuleanizahle Splice; and that the said Letters Patent Should be read with these corrections therein that the saine may conform to the reeerd of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 3d dey of May, A. 1)., 1921.

[SEAL] T. E. ROBERTSON,

Commissioner' of Patents. Cl. 18-45. 

